Shipping case



J. R. GRANT SHIPPING CASE Nov. 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 21,1946 uvmvron Jesse R. GRANT J. R. GRANT SHIPPING CASE Nov. 6, 1951 r 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 21, 1946 mmvrozz. Jsssz R. GRANT Nov. 6, 1951J. R. GRANT v 2,573,706

. SHIPPING CASE Filed June 21, 1946 4 Shets-Sheet 3 FIG. 7

\ WIIIIIIIII/ IIIIIIIII I III [N V EN TOR. Jess: R. GRANT J. R. GRANTSHIPPING CASE Nov. 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 21, 1946INVENTORQ Jssss R 6RAN7' BY 7V Patented Nov. 6, 1951 UNIT ED I F ICE2,573,706 smrrmo case, Jesse RI Grant; Ghicago; Ill Application u zi,1946,. S erial Nor 678,462

This invention relates; to shipping cases for fragile articles such aseggs and for perishable articles .such asfruitsand has for its;principal object the provisionof a newv and; improved .case of thiskind.

Itis a main objectof .the invention to provide. a, shipping case Jcomposedjof fibreboa'rdr either corrugated'or plain and having thestrengtljiire; quired to protecttheicontents during shipment andstorage.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a fibreboard shipping. casethatis strong. enough to permit. stacking .the. cases. oneuponanotherwithout crushing. the. lowermost cases in the pile.

Still another object oi the invention isto provide a shippingcasehavingtwo com artments, each of which is bounded'by smooth planar walls.

Another. object of the invention is to provide a shipping. case in.which.the.endwa1ls .and par; tition are each composed of l at least twoplanar members that are spaced japart to. addjresilier cy to ,the case,to provide for locking the cover on the case. and to increase the lengthof *the case to bring it up to standard length.

S l nother ob e o z he'i nv n qn 1 o em.- vide, for a two-compartmentshipping case a cover that is locked onto thecase at both ends thereofand in themiddle.

Stin anotherobiect f the. v nt n isto ro: videa shipping case hayingasingle compartment and arrangedtobe joinedtoa similar single compar m lase to form standar ubl om.- partment ease Still another object 0f..the"invention is to pro vi e a hippi a e h t canhem defi fibr board atlow cost without: sacriiieing 'quality;

Further ob e t of V e. in ention. notj g j i y mentioned. he e i l: eparent fro the construction and havin parts cut away to betdetaileddescript on. nd" claims. if' ollow,

reference being hadito the accompanying drawr ingsin which an preferred,embodiment; of the invention is shown by way oi example and. in which Eiurei .isa ie n. somet ect on. f -a shipping caseembodying the. inventionand jin w ch the, parts are ut awayto bet r h w the construction of; thecase; r.

Fi u e 2 a wi is metrio proiectionoi ov r. f rthe Ba e;

E sure 3. is. ra m ntary. l vat na iew howing amo fiedi m on u y Fiure-.4 is .a ,viewin. i metric oiectiqm a ha f cas showinga mod ed; yper. iwal tel; show this construction;

Figures is a fragmentary view in isometric projection showinga modifiedform of centerwallconstruction and showing also how two half casesare.joined together to 'form a standard ase;.

Figure 6-is a view in isometric projection of a modifiedform of endwallconstruction for the case;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly; in section, andshowing the lockconstruction used in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a viewinisometric projection of a case; particularly adaptedto the shipping and storage of fruits; and

Figure 9 is a view in isometric projectionof-a modified form of cover.

Shipping cases of the kind employed in the shipment of fragile articlessuch as eggs have long been composed ofwood and provided'with twocompartments. Recently, fibreboard, particularly corrugated fibreboard,has been used in lieu of'wood in the manufacture of these cases.

Eachmaterial has its own individual advantages' and disadvantages andthe fibreboard egg cases heretofore used oftentimes have not hadsufficient strength to permit stacking thecases in the manner in whichwooden cases have been stacked: Because of-this fact, fibreboard-caseshave'not stood up in shipment as well as they might and; the advantagesresulting from the greater resiliency of the'fibreboardhave largely beenlost. The present invention seeks to improve upon these'prior artfibreboard cases and to produce a case that possesses sufficientverticalstrength to permit stackingas required and 'at'the same timeretains the resiliency of the fibreboard case,

"In theshipment of fruits and vegetables, particularly fruits,protection approximately equal to: that given to eggs is desirable toprevent-bruising or the fruit and consequent rapiddecay. El epresentinvention may equally well be used to ship suchperishablemerchandise and when composed of double face moistureproofcorrua ed Wardaf v n e te otec t the fruit than has bee'npQS iblein the wooden cases now incommon use.

In the, construction of the preferred form of douple' compartrnent casea single piece oi double face corrugated is cut toproper dimensions andscored and "then folded; along thev score lines to provide integral sideand bottom members, the stock being folded back upon itself ;to form acen- 3 ter tongue extending across the bottom and from top to bottom ofthe side sections. Extension of the side sections are folded back uponthemselves one or more times to form in eifect a post located at each ofthe four corners of the case. The endwalls of the case may be formedfrom extensions of the bottom folded upwardly along the outside faces ofthe posts and thence across the top of the posts and then downwardlyalongside inside faces thereof to form in the endwall two spaced apartplanar members. If desired, and in cases where greater puncture strengthis required in the endwalls, a separate piece of stock may be foldedback upon itself to form a U- shaped member which is laid alongside ofbothv faces and across the top of the posts and an extension on thebottom is folded up and disposed where, in Figure 1, there is shown astandard twocompartment shipping case for eggs or fruit which comprisesa bottom member I, side members 2 and 3, joined to the member I alongscore lines 4 and 5, respectively.

The side and bottom members are scored along their median line andfolded back upon themselves through 180 degrees and thence through two90 degree folds to form tongues 6, 1 and 8 outstanding from the bottomand side sections, respectively at right angles thereto. Both ends ofthe tongue 6 in the bottom of the case may be mitered as at 9 and thebottom ends of the tongues I and 8 and the sidewall sections likewisemitered as at I0, so that when the sidewall sections are folded alongscore lines 4 and. 5 into position at right angles to the bottom thetongues against one side of this U-shaped member on the 3 outsidethereof to give added strength in the endwall.

The center partition by which the caseis divided into two compartmentsis formed by a single piece of stock folded back upon itself in the U-shaped form and disposed against both faces and the top of the tongues.This auxiliary partition member is secured to these tongues on bothsides and at the bottom of the case to impart added strength thereto.

In many instances, particularly in connection with egg cases, a halfcase would be advantageous to send out to the farms for collecting eggsand transporting them to the receiving station. A standardtwo-compartment egg case is unhandy because of its large capacity-30dozen usually. oftentimes several days are required to fill the case,with the results that the eggs are not strictly fresh when received atthe receiving station. Furthermore, it is very difiicult to transport astandard case in a modern automobile and delivery of eggs from the farmto the receiving station is often further delayed. By providing a halfcase holding-say 15 dozen eggs-the length of time required for thefarmer to fill this case will be cut in half and since the half case canbe carried conveniently in an automobile the eggs will be taken to thereceiving station more promptly and, consequently, will be fresher whenreceived.

Egg shippers would make a more extensive use of half cases if after suchcases have made one round trip to the farm they could be employed infull size cases to ship the eggs to the market. The present inventionprovides a half case adapted to be put to such a use.

Eggs which are shipped to storage and in storage should be packed incases which are well ventilated so that the moist air in therefrigerator car and in the cold storage plant may circulate freelyaround the eggs. Most fibreboard cases in the prior art of which I amaware have not provided for adequate ventilation. All fruits andvegetables must be ventilated to prevent decay. Eggs which are beingcollected on the farm or being shipped for immediate consumption shouldbe kept away from dry air to lessen the shrinkage of the eggs. The caseof the present invention meets both requirements. When a tight case isrequired to restrict circulation, a flanged cover is used and theventilating knockouts are retained in the case to close it tightly. Whenventilation is required, the knockouts are removed and an unflangedcover is used to close the case, which cover permits air to circulatearound its edges.

Referring, now, to the drawings in more detail will fit together. Ifdesired, the bottom tongue 6 may be step-cut as shown at H in Figure 3and the side tongues 1 and 8 step-cut as shown at I2 to registertherewith in lieu of the miter shown in Figure 1.

Side sections 2 and 3 are provided with extensions such as l5 which arescored at l6, l1, l8, I9, 20 and 2| to permit the extension to be foldedback upon itself to form a post 22 which contains four thicknesses ofmaterial and which is disposed at right angles to the face of thesidewall section. Such extensions l5 are located at each end of thesections and when so folded form posts located at the ends of the case.

The bottom section I is provided with an extension 23 at each of itsends which extension is scored at 24 to be folded upwardly along theoutside face of the posts 22 forming an outer wall member 25is scored tobe folded across the top of these posts to form a top member 26 andagain scored to be folded downwardly along the inside face of the posts22 to form an innerwall member 21 which extends from sidewall tosidewall of the case and from top to bottom. The

inner endwall member 21 is scored to form a tongue 28 which is disposedon the upper face of the bottom member I and extends between posts 22and into engagement with the inside face of the outer wall member 25.The endwall thus formed is secured together and to the posts in anypreferred manner, such as by staples 29.

The top faces 26 of the endwall sections are perforated as at 30 toprovide slots through which the cover locking means will project, aswill presently appear. Each of the sidewall extensions [5 is providedwith perforations 3| and 32 located so that when the extension is foldedback upon itself to form the post 22 the perforations will register toform a socket or mortise 33 in the post, which mortise will be as wideas two thicknesses of the material.

The partition is formed of a single piece of stock extending upwardlyalong one face of the tongues 6, 1 and 8 to form one partition member34, thence across the top of the tongues to form a top section 35 andthence downwardly on the other faces of the tongues to form a secondpartition member 36, which members are secured to the tongues in anypreferred manner such as by staples 31. The top section 35 contains aperforation 38 through which a tongue on the cover will project as willpresently appear.

The case so formed contains a single thickness bottom and sidewalls anddouble thickness endwalls with the two sections of the endwalls spacedapart by the width of the posts. The partition contains two membersspaced apart by the thickness of the tongues. The case contains sixposts,

e ovag'zoaa one at each of"its-fourcorners; composed of fourthicknessesof stock folded back -upon' itself all of these posts being engaged bywall or partition sections secured thereto in any--' preferred manner,such as by staples. It has been foundthat corrugatedboard foldedbackupon itself; with theseveral layers in'the foldssecurelyfastened together as with staples, makes a postor tong-uethat has'greatendwise-strength', and is-much' stronger than an equal number ofindividual layers of material similarly fastened together. This fact hasbeenu-tilized in the formation=of the tongues-at-the center ofthe' caseand the posts at the corners thereof. As a result of this con structionthe case is exceedingly strong, both. against endwise-thrusts; such'asare-encountered in shipment; and also against vertical strains-such asare encounteredwhen the-cases are stacked high as in storage.

It will be noted that each of the end wallsand the partition of the casecontain two' planar members which are spaced'apart by the tongues orposts and are joined together by'top members which are slotted.This-construction, which is a feature of the presentinventionhasdistinct advantages. First, it adds resiliency to thecase,particularly against endwise shocks. When used for eggs the cases willbe placed in the car or truck endwise and thegreatest shocks imposed onthe cases in transit will be endwise. Second, this spacing providesgrooves into which the-"locking tongues on the cover are-projected tolock the cover on the case at both endsand in the middle. Third, thisspacing permitsbuilding thecase to standard length with amlnimum ofstock: Wooden egg cases of the two-compartment'type measure 26" outsidelength and corrugatedfibreboard cases of theprior art' have usuallybeenshort of this figure with the'resultthatthe' two kinds of cases have notfit together well-in cars and trucks.

If it isdesired to provide ventilation in the case as will be necessaryfor eggs shipped in a refrigerated car and eggs stored inaventilated-cold storage plant, and in the case of fruit in shipment,rectangular perforations 40 may be cut in the sidewalls 2 and 3 adjacentthe' score' lines 4 and 5, respectively. To facilitate handlingthe case,the endwall members are preferably provided with hand-holds 4| whichalsoaid in. ventilation. Further ventilation may be'achieved by circularor rectangular knockoutsor-perforations 42 located inthe ends ofthe-case adjacent to bottom as shown.

As will be seen in Figure 2, the cover:.for= the case consists of asingle piece of fibreboard folded back upon itself through 180degreesand then through 90 degrees to form acenterrtongue; 43 dividingthe cover. intotwo sections..-44--.and1.45i, one for each of the twocompartments, respectively. Extensions at theendsofthesections 4,4 and45 are folded back upon themselves to. form tongues 46 which are cutoutto form the'tongue generally T-shaped, giving, in effect, a tenonvflat one end of thetongue andaxtenon 48 at'the other end thereof. Thetongue43- is similarly shaped and tonguesAG and-43 are each-composed oftwo thicknesses of material-securedtogether preferably by staples.

If desired, the sections 44 and45 may eachbe provided with flanges 49projectingffrom. the edges of the sections atright angles thereto. Theseflanges are adaptedto fit inside of theisidewalls 2. and 3,.of:the;case:ancl,to abut against the end walls I and partition.The-flanges; stiffen discover and aid itin' stiffening thecase againstthrough the case.

In putting the cover on the case; the tongues arefitted in the'slots' 30and 38 with the larger tenons 4Tgoing in first and' thecover movedto'the right: Figure 1, until 1 the opposite end of the tongue will slidedown into the slots: The cover is then moved' 'vertically into positionacross the top ofthecasewiththe flanges 49 disposed inside ofthesidewalls 2- and 3 thereof I and then' the cover is moved to the'left,Figure 1, to register the tenons 48 into the mortises 33 onthe onesideof thecase. The cover is provided with afingerhold43wat each end tofacilitate thismanipulation. Thecover thus being locked at both ends andin the middle adds materially to the strength of the'case, resistingendwise crushing.

It 'willbe noted that each of the compartments in the case shown inFigure 1 is bounded by a smooth planar wall-on eachof its-foursides andthatthe bottom is likewise perfectly smooth. The onlyencroachment uponthisclear space arethe flanges 43 'on'the cover, when such flangesxareused. This encroachment is advantageous in the caseof eggs since itwedges thedfiller fiatsin the top. layerrand reducesdamage in thatlayer;

In Figure 4, theretisshown a modifiedform of endwall constructionapplied to a half case. In this embodiment of invention, the bottom 50;sidewalls 5i and 52, are formed integral as before andextensions: of thesidewalls 5| and; 52 are scored. and folded'back upon themselves toformposts 53 which, in this embodiment, are shown toconsist of threethicknessesof material;

- Four or more thicknesses of material in the posts are alsocontemplated. An auxiliary member consisting of. an innerwall 54, a top55, and an outenwall 56 isdisposed with'the walls 54 and 5.6 alongsideof the twofaces of the posts. Innerwall 54contains anextension 51 whichlays upon theabottom50 and extends between the posts 53 and1abuts:against the inside face of the outer membern56.

Thebottom 50 contains anlextension 58- which is.-folded upand-disposedagainst the'outer face of;the member. 56, which bottom extension,endwallmembers; and posts are'securedtogether in any-preferred manner,such as by staples 59.

At theiropposite ends, sidewalls 5| and 52 .contain extensions-60 andEl, respectively, whichare folded atri htangles-to the sidewallsv andabut against .eachother onthe median line 62 of the case; Thel-zbottom50 contains an extension 6.3 which isfolded upwardly alongside of theouter faceof the eXtensionBB and 6| and terminates about halfway betweenthe. top and bottom of thecase.

The cover: 64 contains a flap 65 disposed in engagement with the outerfaces; of extensions 60 and-Bl and abuts against the top edge ofextension 63,,the-members 60, BI, 63 and 65 being secured.together-inany preferred. manner, such as by staples 66 to form adouble thickness endwall for the .case. The cover 1 64 contains anextension whlch, is;.;folded.-back upon itself to forma-Mtongue 81 thatcontains locking tenons 88 and 89. The top wall 55 in the opposite endof the case contains a slot I8 into which the tongue 61 projects. Posts53 are cut away as shown at II to form mortises into which tenons 68 and69 are projected as before to lock the cover closed on the case. Thecover 84 contains flanges I2 and I3 adapted to fit inside of thesidewalls 5I and 52 to close the case.

The half case shown in Figure 4 is intended primarily for use by farmersfor the storing of eggs collected for delivery to the receiving stationand for shipment to direct consumers. For this reason, no ventilationshould be provided since the case will not ordinarily be used underrefrigeration but, rather, will be exposed to dry air. As is wellunderstood by those skilled in the art, dry air in contact with eggscauses evaporation of the moisture in the egg and consequent shrinkingof it. With the case containing solid walls and closed by the flangedtop, circulation is minimized and the egg deterioration is less than hasbeen possible heretofore. Since the case is small and practically acube, it can be handled into and out of an automoble or truck withouthand-holds.

If desired, two cases of the type shown in Figure 4 may be placed end toend with the covers 84 adjacent at the middle of the case and the twosections secured together by suitable means, such as staples. Thisresults in a two-compartment case having a cover fixed thereto at themiddle. When the two individual half cases are thus secured together theendwalls of the resulting standard case should be provided withhandholds such as 4| to facilitate handling the case.

In Figure 5, there is shown a modified form of case consisting of abottom 88 and sidewall members BI and 82, and a second bottom 83 andsidewall members 84 and 85. The ends of the case may be formed either inthe manner shown and described in connection with Figure 1 or in themanner shown and described in connection with Figure 4. The ends of theside sections 8| and 82 adjacent the middle of the case are providedwith extensions 86 folded back upon themselves to form a doublethickness tongue 81 which tongue is disposed at right angles to the sidewall section and extends to the middle 88 of the bottom 88. Sidewallsections 84 and 85 are provided with extensions folded to form similartongues 89. The bottom 88 is provided with an extension 98 which isfolded up inside of the members 81 and the bottom 83 is provided with anextension 9| folded up inside of the members 89, both of theseextensions 98 and 9| terminating approximately halfway between the topand bottom of the case. An auxiliary member is formed in general U-shapeand disposed with one edge 92 abutting against the bottom extension 98and extending upwardly therefrom on the Inside of members 81, thenceacross members 81 and 89 as shown at 93, thence down alongside ofmembers 89 as shown at 94. The various extensions and members aresecured together in any preferred manner, such as staples, 95, to form apartition consisting of six thicknesses of material. The top member 93is slotted as shown at 9B and the side members 81 and 89 are cut away asshown at 91 to form a channel into which the cover tongue such as 45,Figure 2, or I83, Figure 9, may be fitted and locked to lock the coveron the case. If desired, the cover and case can be cut apart by cuttingthestaples between members 81 and 89 to form two half cases. Thisembodiment of the invention produces a standard case of exceptionalstrength with a minimum of stock- The shipping cases shown in Figures 1and 4 are each provided with endwalls which are smooth, both on theinside of the case and on the outside. In certain instances, it may beadvantageous to form the case with cleats projecting from it on theoutside faces of the endwalls. In Figure 6 there is shown such a case.

In this embodiment of the invention, the bottom I88 and sidewalls I8Iand I82 are formed of a single piece of double-faced corrugated board asbefore and bent along scores I83 to position the sidewalls I8I and I82at right angles to the bottom. The bottom and both sidewalls are foldedback upon themselves to form center tongues I84 as before, which tonguesmay be mitered as shown in Figure 1 or step-cut as shown in Figure 3 sothat they will fit together.

In this embodiment of the invention the endwalls consist of separatepieces I and I86, having extensions which are folded back uponthemselves to form side flanges I8! extending from top to bottom of themember. These flanges are disposed at right angles to the face of theendwall and contain a plurality of thicknesses of stock, the drawingsshowing two thicknesses. Upper extensions I88 are likewise folded overupon themselves to form outwardly extending flanges I88, which aredisposed between the side flanges I8? and are spaced therefrom.

A projection at the bottom edge of the endwall is folded back upon iselfto form a flange I89 disposed at right angles to the endwall and in theexample shown containing two thicknesses of material.

Each of the side members I8I and I82 contain extensions which are scoredand folded to embrace three sides of the side flanges I81 as shown at H8and are secured thereto in any suitable manner such as by staples I I I.This combination of endwall flange and sidewall extension forms a postin the corner of the case which, in the example shown, contains fourthicknesses of material. A stronger post may be made by folding into thepost additional thicknesses of material as required.

The bottom I88 contains an end extension which is folded up along theouter edge of the bottom flange I89, thence across the top of thatflange, as shown at H2 and thence upwardly along the outer face of theendwall member I85, as shown at I I3, being secured to the endwall inany preferred manner, such as by staples II I, which extend through thislatter flange and the endwall member.

The partition is the same as shown in Figure 1 and consists of sidemembers IIS and II! and a top member II8 which embraces the tongues I88and are secured thereto in any preferred manner such as by staples H9.The top member II8 contains a slot I28 through which the tongue of acover such as tongue 43, Figure 2, may be projected to lock the cover onthe case.

The cover for a case of this type is modified over those of the otherembodiments as will be seen best in Figure 7. The main section I2I ofthe cover contains an end projection which is folded back on itself toform a tongue of double thickness'as shown at I22 which tongue is T-shaped and contains lateraly projecting lips I23 which engage the lowersurfaces of the end flanges I88. Since these two flanges are spacedapart as shown in Figure 6, the center portion of :9 the tongue .flts.therebetween and the cover -is thereby :locke'd .ver'tically andlaterally by the tongue. iIf ,desiredcen'dwalls I and v,I Il6.ca1f beequipped with ,handholds I and ventilating openings ,I25may1be addedgifdesired. ,Thecover may be equipped with flanges suchas 49 ,in'jig- .ure'2, .if desired.

.integral sidewalls on opposite sidesthereof. Such a constructionispreferable for theshipment and storage of lighter materials, such aseggs. In the case of heavier materials, such as ,oranges and lemons,which are usually shippedin. atwocompartment case,and.apples, pears,,and the like, usually shipped in a single compartment case,

because of the, greater .weight :of .the produce, ,9.

stronger case is advisable. ,A modified jformnf construction to produceastrongcaselis shown in Figure 8.

In this figure, the .case consists of \a bottom member I30, with sidevmembers JI'3I .anjd I32 formed integral therewith and adapted ,to .be

folded alon scoreliness I33 to position the, sides at right angles tothebottom. 'The1bottom..and side members are each folde'dbackuponthemselves to .form tongues I34 and .the tongues miteredasshowninFigure 2, or step-cut as shownin Figure 3,,so.as,to,fit.together whenthe sidewalls are disposed ,at right angles to the bottom..'I'hesidew.alls.l3l ,and.'l3,2,contain end extensions I whicharescoredso as.to permit .themto be folded back upon themselves;tojform posts 136which. in the. embodiment .shown contain four thicknesses of.material.ZIhe extensions are perforated. asat. I 31. and I38. tojform: mortisesI39.as before.

Disposed against the-inner and outerlfaces or the posts and.tonguemandextending from side to side. of .the case. and .from .top tobottom, is,a

liner consisting of .an .outer .endportion 1 I40 engaging the outer.faces .of the postsv at .oneend of the case, a .top portion I 4 Iextending. across .the

top vof those ..posts .andlinner member .I'42 .ex- .tendingdownwardlycalongside the,v inner; f aces ,of

those posts ..and.bottom member 1.4.3, extending across the bottom. I30.to=the tongues. I3I, partition. members- I44,- I .and 1.46.,enaaging Ithegtwo facesand ends of. thetongues I 34: and secondbottom member I41extending between the partition and theopposite end of, thecase and, asecond series. of. .endmembers. I48, l.49...andl I engagingtheoppositejfaces and top ..of .the ,posts 136% the opposite, end, ofthecase.

.Bottom I 30 of thelcase .contains. an extension I5 I whichis.foldedupalongside ofthelinermember I40andsecuredlthereto and to theposts and the liner ,membeix secured .to .the posts in ,any preferredmanner suchlasbynstaples. I52. .At. the opposite .end the .bottom I30,contains an extension: I53 that. isiolded up alongside the. outer face.ofthe liner member I50.-and securedthereto and to. the postsineanylpreferredmanner, such asby staples, I54. I

This, construction results in;.a .case having; in- .tegral bottom .andsidewalls, three thicknesses .an'zaroc .10 ,of material in the endwalls,the inner two of whicharespaced-apart by:a distance equal to-the"thickness of-the posts,'and a bottom liner section integral with :theendwall-and partition members. "The case, therefore, "has a doublebottom supportedby the endwalls and sidewalls and capable of carryinggreater weights than would be possible-in a single bottom case.

isinceffruits .are;bestpreservedwhen contained in ventilated cases, theendwalls are provided with hand-.holds'l55gandthese Walls and the par-Jtition contain a plurality of ventilating openings 'I56jtopermitcirculation of airendwise through the .case. sidewall ,members I3I andI32 are provided with a plurality Qfventilating ports I51 to permitcross ventilation in the case. As shown, .the ventlating ports I56 andI51,are circular, "but. obviously, any otherjdesired shape may be used.

".The case thus jformedis closed byacover shown .iniFigureJB .which will,be seen to be of the same ,generalconstruction as the cover shown inFigure 12 except that it has no side flanges. The cover Zhas main bodyportions I60 and I 6|, end tongues ,25 I62 and aoenter tongue I63,eachlof which is -shapedjto form a'locking member and consists.ojf...two thicknesses of material.

The.top members I4I I45 .and I49 are each provided with a slot I64through which the tongues of the coverprojectto secure the cover ..onthe case. j'longues I62 lock intothe mortises I39 in the posts'l36 asbefore.

.As will be seen. in .Eigurefi, the'tongues I34 are cutaway .to form aslot I65 which, when the tongueis disposed ,betweenthe members I44 andI46 vof the partition, will form a mortise into hich the'lockprojectionson the tongue I63 of .the cover are projected to lock the cover to the.,case,at this point. The cover contains .finger ,holds j I66 tofacilitate manipulations of it. Tongues I62 and I63.are each composed oftwo thicknesses of materialpreferably.fastened toetherby staples I61.

;If ,desired the width of the sections I60 and .I6I of the couer may beslightly less than the width ofthe case so that when the cover is locked.onfthe case there will be an appreciable gap between the case andcoverpermitting free vventilationthrough the case in a .verticaldirection. When ,composed of so-called moisture-proof .corrugatedboard,the case and cover shown in "FiguresB and9 may .be used to transportfruits and vegetables without danger of excessive dam- .age; thereto.The covershown in Figure 9 may be. useidonthecase shown in Figure 1 inlieu of thecoverinTigure'Z if desired, to give better ventilation-tothe. case.

j'From the foregoing, it will,be seen that the shipping cases,oilmyjnvention are possessed of manyradvantages. ,When composed of goodgrade "double-faced corrugated paper of approximately 1 /8" thicknessand with proper spacing Of'thefiutes. a case of great strength results.If the stock'is so-called' moisture proof stock, the ,caseis capable ofwithstanding the humidities .encountere'din cold storage plants withoutdamage. ',Y.'I he combination. of integral bottom and.s'ides,,coupledwiththe flange cover locked to the caseuatihothoends andin the middle results in a structure which is gexceedinglystrong againstendwise crushing. The spaced apart wall sec- .tlonsQin. the. ends andpartition impart a certain resiliency to the case, aresiliency not to befound in ,woodencases. fIThe posts formed by folding .thestockhack uponitself aplurality ,of times tion by illustrating a preferred embodimentof it. I have done so by way of example only as there are manymodifications and adaptations which can be made by one skilled in theart with- .in the teachings of the invention.

Having thus complied with the statutes and shown and described apreferred embodiment of my invention, what I consider new and desire tohave protected by Letters Patent is pointed out in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a shipping case, a partition and two end walls each comprising atleast two planar members joined together by a top member, meansincluding said top members for spacing apartlsaid sets of two planarmembers to add length and resiliency to the case, said top members eachcontaining a slot opening into the space between the sets of planarmembers, posts projecting into the spaces between said members andengaging the inner faces thereof and the under face of the top membersaid posts each containing a mortise opening into said space, a coverfor said case, tongues on said cover adapted to project through saidslots into said spacers, and tenons on said tongues projected into saidmortises to lock the cover on the case. 7

2. A two-compartment shipping case comprising a first compartmentcomposed of bottom and side sections formed from a single piece offibreboard, an end wall in one end of said compartment comprising innerand outer sections that are spaced apart, an end-wall in the other endof said compartment comprising extensions of said side sections foldedback upon themselves and abutted together on the median line'of thecase, an extension of said bottom section extending alongside the innerfaces of said side section extensions and upwardly to the approximatemiddle of the compartment, a second and similar compartment disposedwith its other end section abutting against said other end section ofsaid first compartment, a U-shaped member extending from the top edge ofthe bottom extension in one compartment, upwardly alongside the innerface of the side section extensions of that compartment, across the topof the side section extensions of both compartments and downwardlyalongside the side section extensions of the other compartment intoabutment with the bottom extension of the other compartment, meanssecuring together said extensions and U-member to fasten together saidcompartments and to form a partition therebetween, said side sectionextensions and said U-member being cut away to form a locking groove insaid partition, the end wall members of said compartments alsocontaining locking grooves opening into their upper edges, a cover, lockprojections on said cover adapted to fit in the grooves in said end walland said partition to lock the cover on the case, and flanges on theedges of said cover adapted to extend into said compartments alongsidesaid sidewall sections to close the compartments.

3. In a shipping case, bottom and side sections formed from a singlepiece of fibre board; integral multi-layer flanges extended inwardlyfrom said side and upwardly from said bottom section, at right anglesthereto to form vertical reinforcing posts at the center of the sid setions and a horizontal reinforcing tongue across the center of thebottom section; an integral multi-layer reinforcing post extendingacross each end of each side section and projecting inwardly therefromat right angles thereto; end walls composed of fibre board and havingplanar inner and outer faces engaging opposite faces of said end posts;means securing said end walls to; said end posts; a partition membercomposed of fibre board and having planar walls engaging opposite facesof said tongue and center posts;

posed of a plurality of layers of said board each integral with the sidewall member and extended from the top to the bottom edge thereof, onepost at each end of each side wall member and one post in the middle ofeach side wall member, there being mortises formed in each post near thetop thereof; a horizontal reinforcement for said bottom comprising aflange composed of a plurality of layers of said board each integralwith said bottom, located at the middle thereof, extended upwardlytherefrom at right angles thereto from side wall post to side wall post;end wall members composed of said board, of generally U-section, engagedwith and secured to said end side wall posts extended from side wall toside wall, from the bottoms to the tops of said posts and across thetops of the posts, there being slots in the portions of the end wallmembers extended across the posts; a partition member, composed of saidboard, of generally U-section, engaged with and secured to said middleside wall posts, extended from side wall to side wall, from the bottomsto the tops of said posts and across the tops of the posts, there beingslots in the portion of said partition extended across the tops of saidposts; a cover for said case, integral flanges on said cover located ateach end and at the middle thereof and composed each of a plurality oflayers of said board, said flanges being adapted to project through saidslots in the end walls and partition respectively; and tenons on eachflange extended laterally therefrom and projected into the mortises onsaid posts to lock the cover onto the posts and case.

5. In a shipping case for fragile articles, integral bottom and sidewall members composed of corrugated fibre board; vertical reinforcementsfor said side wall members comprising posts integral with the side wallmembers composed of a plurality of layers of material and extendedinwardly therefrom at right angles thereto and located one at each endof and one in the middle of each side wall member; a horizontalreinforcement for said bottom member comprising an integral flangecomposed of a plurality of thicknesses of material located at the middleof the case and extended upwardly from the bottom at right anglesthereto from side wall post to side wall post; end wall members composedof said board, of generally U-section, engaged with and secured to theopposite faces of said side wall posts and extended across the tops ofsaid posts; and a partition member composed of said board, engaged withand secured to the opposite faces of said middle posts and said flange,abutted' against said bottom and side wall members and extended acrossthe tops of said middle posts.

6. In a shipping case, integral bottom and side 13 wall members;extensions on each end of said side wall members forming posts thatcontain four thicknesses of material in face to face relation, aredisposed at right angles to the side wall members, and extend from topto bottom thereof to reinforce the case vertically; extensions on eachend of said bottom member extending upwardly alongside the outer facesof the posts and therebetween, across the tops of the posts anddownwardly alongside the inner faces thereof to the bottom member toform a hollow end wall at each end of the case; and means securing saidend walls to said posts thereby to secure the case together.

JESSE R. GRANT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Armstrong Nov. 28, 1899Rice Dec. 11, 1917 Gomes Sept. 12, 1933 Swaim Dec. 10, 1935 Evans June20, 1939 Otten Nov. 10, 1942 Bentham June 11, 1946 Meinhardt Sept. 7,1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Australia June 10, 1905 SwitzerlandApr. 1, 1927 Great Britain Mar. 31, 1936 France May 20, 1935

